Tainted Love
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Sakura STOPPED Sasuke from leaving...somehow. Now she's the target of Orochimaru, and she has the Legendary 16 year old Dante as her protector. And protect her he does, stopping all the assasins that are sent his way. But who will Sakura choose? SasuxSaku
1. Protector

It was a silent night in Konoha, and not a sound was heard. Everyone had retired early for the stress of the war with sound had them all at the end of their ropes, and the night was thick with the lack of sound, nearly Erie as the full moon shown down on the park, illuminating two figures, one siting on a bench, the other standing over her protectively.

The only two persons up at this hour was a certain pink haired kunoichi named Sakura Haruno, and her bodyguard, who stood a heads length taller than her, his figure outlined in a red version of his usual outfit, his long red cape billowing out behind him as he stood watch over his charge. _'Poor thing. She's had a rough week..._Being out this late did not scare our little cherry blossom though, because of this young man, only two years older than her, had vowed to guard her at all times to protect her from one of the strongest ninjas to ever leave the Hidden Leaf village. Orochimaru.

But she had been firmly assured by Tsunade that this Anbu was at LEAST on Orochimaru's level, if not even more powerful, and she had a feeling that the blond hokage was telling the truth, as the man flexed the cold fingers of his clawed hand, making the metal of the claws clink softly against each other, as he removed his dragon skull mask from his face, exposing his soft white silvery hair as he stood over her, keeping watch was she sat on the bench deep in thought, his grey eyes reflecting worry as his deep voice carried out softly on the wind. "You okay Sak?"

She smiled slightly at his nickname. He had said that her name was too long, and he had shortened it as a result, always referring to her as 'Sak'. And no matter how many times she had told him to stop calling her that, he still did, and he would only fade out of the way of her punches, so she didn't have any other choice but to put up with it. And she sighed as she looked up for a moment, before hanging her head again as she irritably ran her hands through her pink hair, sounding sad and broken as she spoke. "I just don't know anymore. Since last week, every thing's gotten so hard, so confusing. I just don't know anymore."

His name was Dante. And he had VOLUNTEERED to guard Sakura, insisiting that he, and ONLY HE was up for the task, and he had taken all of her objections in, merely giving her a charming smile that said he wasn't hearing a thing she was saying. He reminded her of Naruto, but not so weak around her, and he wasn't flriting with her, but still, he was acting like an older brother, always there, sometimes seen, sometimes not, but she could always tell when he was near, shadowing her, protecting her, even sheltering her from the cold now, as he placed his red cloak over her shoulders. _'And its like he doesn't even know what small gestures like that mean to me..._

Gone was the time where she had to be protected by her teammates. Now only HE and (occasionally Naruto,) would guard her. In fact, she was now working in the Konoha Hospital as well as being the Hokage's apprentice and observing, soaking in everything her mentor taught her, and she had rapidly gained the respect of her master, already packing an even more powerful punch than Tsunade had, when she was her age. In fact, she was following quite well in the footsteps of a future Sanin, and even at this rate, she could very well be at LEAST as strong as Tsunade in a month. And all of it was necessary.

For she was needed here. VERY badly. For she alone had just the other night, two weeks ago actually, she had somehow prevented Sasuke Uchiha from leaving the village, and now he was wavering between staying here and going to Orochimaru, who had by now attempted multiple assassinations on the poor 14 year old Haruno, determined to bring Sasuke to him, and seeing her as a potential obstacle to that, the ONLY obstacle. He had sent his very best, the Sound Five, to silence her, but...he had OBVIOUSLY not been expecting to deal with Dante's unbreakable spirit and horribly terrifying power that he commanded.

And Dante had stopped each and every one of them cold, killing four and capturing the redhead girl who had came before. First had been Jirobou. All it had taken to dispose of him, was one touch of that demonic looking hand, and the would-be killer had screamed in agony, eyes rolling back in his head, as his body dropped lifeless to the ground. DEAD. When she had first seen it, she nearly fainted from shock, but he soon assured her that he would only use it when necessary, and even went so far as to swear an blood oath of loyalty and protection to her, proving his willingness to protect her, despite that they had not even known each other before he had asked to be her protector.

Next had been Kidomaru, and he alone had come the closet to killing her, but he had foolishly toyed with Dante too long, and just as he was about to give the killing blow to Sakura, view a chakra enhanced arrow to the head, Dante had LITERALLY torn Kidomaru's own head off, and burned him, head, corpse and all, to ash. Again he had saved Sakura from near death. "Leave her alone. Trash...

Third came Sakon, and his brother Ukon, the two brothers. And with two against one, Dante had been _severely _injured, Ukon having literally torn off his unclawed arm, only for the 16 year old to smirk as he regrew it, revealing ANOTHER clawed hand, which he had formed a black sphere of energy in, and Sakura had shuddered as she heard the tortured screams of demonic creatures coming from within it. Then he had rammed into the gut of the then stunned man, tearing his very intestines out, as he used a black version of the Rasengan, not revealing how he knew it. "Begone."

Ukon had died a VERY painful death.

Sakon however was killed surprisingly mercifully as the now clawed Dante had merely snapped the Sound nin's neck, before his new clawed hand faded away, revealing a normal hand in its place which he had held in pain as it spasmed. "Don't worry. I'm okay...

Then he had fainted, and Sakura had been forced to field test her new medical abilities, and she had gave a joyous shout as Dante opened his eyes a moment later, gving her a weary smile as the green glow faded from her hands, pressed against the crucifix on his neck, the metal glowing a soft red as she pulled her hands away. "Nice one Sak. You saved my ass there."

Then had come Tayuya, the redhead who Dante had captured, for after he broke her flute, she was easy to subdue and hand over to the Anbu for interrogation. "Make sure you get as much information as you canout of this one. She's one of his elite bodyguards.

But...When that man with the bones had come...

She shuddered, repressing the memory of how Dante had fought, but got the grisly image anyway, as then vampiric Dante had literally, EATEN the head off of the Kaguya. He had been badly beaten before, but when Sakura healed him again, the crucifix had glowed black, and Dante had bared his fangs at Kimimaru as he gently put his hands on Sakura's waist, making her blush as he gently set her off to one side.

She would never forget his words, which he said he didn't remember saying. "You. How DARE you harm her! For this I shall make you suffer!" Then he had leapt upon the man ignoring the bones that pierced his skin, his flesh healing instantaneously as his jaw opened impossibly wide, then covered the head of the pale man spitting out his skull, from his then elongated jaw,a second later, as his corpse dropped to the ground.

Then he had closed his eyes, and the fangs retracted, as he gave a humble bow to Sakura. "I apologize for letting you see me like that."

She had shakily nodded his head as Tsunade and the Anbu arrived. "T-That's alright...

--

_'He really is something else. He's saved me so many times... Add yet ANOTHER confusing person to the mix..._

That was his curse. He could NOT touch anyone with that hand, except for once a week, for one day only, when the magma red would dull slightly, and he would be allowed to use that hand to touch, without fear of killing. And he was also a vampire, except that for some reason, he didn't drink blood or burn in sunlight, the gauntlet being his curse instead. And tonight was one of those days, and she sighed as she felt the claws place themselves on her left shoulder, gently giving it a soft squeeze, as Dante stared out into the night, dead serious, yet kind as he spoke, not looking at her. "Its okay. That scum won't harm a HAIR on your head. I swear on my life."

The Haruno felt her cheeks turn a bright pink from that, but she knew that was just Dante acting the way he always did. "Its not that. I'm just so mixed up...

He nodded as he stood there. "Of course. Even I would be perplexed in your situation." She was strong now but she hadn't always been that way. She had been forced to change. Ever since that week, on that night nothing had ever been the same for her. Things were so strange now...

**Flashback:**

Sakura watched as the love of her life prepared to leave the village and her, all in the search for power. Power to kill his own brother with. Sakura understood, she really did. His brother slaughtered his clan, he needed revenge, she accepted that, but her aching heart told her otherwise, it told her she wanted him to stay.

"I love you with all my heart! I promise if you stay ill make each and every day happy. I'll do whatever it takes, I'll even help you get your revenge, but please… don't leave! And if you have too then... Take me with you! I love you so much!"

He looked at her with those cold obsidian orbs, annoyed at her now as he turned around " Che. You really are annoying…"

Sakura felt her heart crack with his words. He turned to leave once again THAT did it, and in a angry tone, filled with hurt and pain, she called out once more.

"If you leave I'll scream!"

He was behind her in an instant, and her green eyes narrowed. _'He's going to try and knock me out. No way is that going to happen'_. She felt the hot sticky tears make tracks down her face as she felt the cold wind that night blow through her hair... and vanished in a poof of smoke, as he chopped her on the neck, reappearing behind him now, and holding a kunai to his throat, her tone venomous now as the sharp blade drew a trickle of blood from his throat, making him wince slightly in pain as she spoke. "How did you get-

But she ignored him, her heart bleeding from the pain his words had caused her. But she STILL loved him, despite the venom in her voice "Well, if I'm so damn annoying Sasuke-_kun, _Then why do I have you trapped now?"

Then he surprised her by uttering two words.

They stood their in silence for a moment before she heard a soft "thank you".

Before she could even process these words, he spoke again, his voice oddly lacking emotion. "It looks like I might have a reason to stay after all." With that, he unshouldered his pack, and tossed it into the air, incinerating it an instant later. "That takes care of that- then Sakura grabbed him by the back of his black hair... and dragged the now oddly compliant Uchiha to Tsunade's office...

**End flashback**

She had given him her heart, told him she loved him, but he left her in the dark, not letting her now if he had kept it, or thrown it aside. After all he HAD didn't need love, especially that of a weak teammate who he was always forced to protect. But after her actions that night, he didn't seem as annoyed around her, and she had also stopped asking him out on dates, and such.

But their was tension between the two of them, an uneasy alliance, and they barely even spoke to each other now.

No longer could she be weak in front of anyone, or allow others to hurt her, she was strong and she didn't need anyone. At least that is what she WANTED to tell herself. But she DID need someone, someone special, to hold her, and take her in his arms kissing her softly, and holding her tightly. But who? THAT was what plagued her night and day, every waking moment, without delay. _'This is outta hand..._

She didn't want to bear the burden of emotions anymore. They were a hindrance in her life and only served to cause her grief. _'So much grief.._

She refused the humiliation of having someone see her cry, despite the fact that she was weeping on the inside. So she trained. She apprenticed under the great slug Sannin herself and she aspired to become the best medinin in the village. She was ALREADY beginning to inherit Tsunade's inhuman strength, and she had been told by Shizune that she was well on her way to becoming even GREATER than Tsunade.

She had Lee train her rigorously in taijutsu and had Kurenai help her with her genjutsu. She even trained with Kakashi and Neji to learn to fight against the Sharingan and the Byakugan. It had indeed been a buisy week. And the second one hadn't been any easier.

Even after all of this though, she still wasn't happy. Her emotions still got in the way. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't let them go.

She decided to talk to her new teammate Sai, who had been added to help ease some of the thick tension between her and the arrogant Uchiha. And it had helped...slightly He was raised to be emotionless, but perhaps he when offered to teach her, she gladly accepted his offer.

She worked with him rapidly this week to perfect controlling her emotions, and he had proudly congratulated her on her success yesterday, stating that she had nothing more left to teach her, whilst, SHE had also taught him about showing emotion in everyday life. She could never get rid of them completely, but she could put away the hurt and the tears until she was alone, and only Dante ever saw her tears now, and he swore to her that he would reveal nothing of them, further solidifying her trust in him. _'He doesn't know it, but he's starting to become my pillar of strength. Jeez. Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, Lee, Dante...Who do I REALLY love..._

But she could never truly be what a ninja was supposed to be. Devoid of emotion or feelings, thinking only about the mission...

She had no idea what had happened or why he had stayed, and was growing tired of thinking about it. So rising from her seat, she placed her hand over the one on his shoulder for a moment, and looked up into his steel grey eyes. "Thanks for the encouragement. Now, lets go home." He nodded, and slowly, almost reluctantly pulled his hand out from beneath hers, gesturing for her to go first. "After you, Sak. Lead the way." Sakura nodded sadly and held Dante's cloak about her as she began to walk in the direction of her house, the faithful guard echoing her footsteps perfectly as he looked this way and that for any more assassins. But Sakura knew what she had to do. She just knew that she had to see him again.

Her teammate, her friend, her love, Sasuke Uchiha. She NEEDED to know what he REALLY felt for her. "I just have to know. This is getting to be too much...


	2. Breakdown

Dante opened the door for Sakura, and gestured for her to go in, after he sent in a shadow clone to make sure the home was secure. And it was, as the copy poked its head out of the door moments later, tossing aside all manner of listening devices, and other weapons and traps that he had effortlessly disarmed. "After you Sak. I'll be right behind you." Instinctively, she clutched his red cloak about her as she took a step into the home, shivering as she looked back at the pile of death traps and the like. _'It almost makes me regret saving Sasuke..._

And then she couldn't help it. As soon as she set foot in her house, the tears began to fall from her face as she hiccuped, trying to keep them at bay, and failing miserably. "Not again! I can't keep crying like this!" Dante promptly closed the door behind her, locking it and drawing the blinds and curtains closed, keeping his promise to NEVER let anyone see her cry ever again, and his sad gaze fell on her as she wept, and he felt the strong desire to find the snake, wherever he was, and rip his very soul from his body, so he could make him suffer the pain he _knew _his charge must be going through. And cry she did as she stumbled over to the couch, landing on it softly, wishing for the comfort of her mother and father, but alas, she could not have it at this time. "I miss mom and dad...

For both of her parents were away on yet _another_mission, and she had absolutely no idea when they would return, or even for how long. Sometimes is really SUCKED with them being Anbu and all.

And so, feeling sad and alone, she buried her head in her hands the torrent of tears leaking out almost immediately between her fingers,and staining the light fabric of the sofa as she cried openly now, the sobs shaking her body violently. "I(sob) don't(sob) feel (sob)safe anymore! This is terrible!" Now she looked up at Dante, who was once again standing over her, looking down at her with his piercing steely stare, but it softened as he saw how miserable his charge was, as well as her pleading look. "Is this ALWAYS how its going to be? Am I always(sob) going to have to fear for my (sob) life?!"

Dante surprised her yet again, as he shook his head, causing his short silver hair to sway back and forth from the motion as the clone flicked on the lights, before vanishing in a poof of smoke, the lights slowly flickering to life, as he knelt down and placed both of his hands on her shoulders, gently shaking her, as a small smile appeared on his face. "You don't have to fear for your life Sak. I'll make sure that NO ONE ever lays a hand on you, just like when I volunteered for guarding you. I made you a promise. Remember?"

She nodded, and sniffled as she rubbed the tears out of her eyes. But then she started crying all over again, as a terrible thought hit her. "B-But w-what (sob)happens w-when your(sob) mission is over?" Dante quirked an eyebrow at this, tilting his head slightly to the left as he spoke, somewhat confused. "What do you mean by that Sak?"

Now she angrily glared at him, as the tears stung her emerald eyes. And she sounded so _hurt. _"You know what I mean! Sooner or later, Orochimaru is going to get tired of sending his lackeys after me! What happens if HE comes to kill me himself?! What are you gonna do then?! HUH?!"

Dante's confused expression vanished now. He knew the answer to THAT question. "Simple. I kill him. Once and for all. Then no more assassination attempts-

Now she broke down again, and in a moment of extreme weakness, buried her head into the red T-shirt he wore, her plentiful tears soaking the shirt slowly but surely as she grabbed the fabric of it and pressed her face against it, the tear staining in dark with moisture as they slowly leaked out. "That's(sob) just it! What happens when you complete your mission?!"

She said 'when' not 'if', because: One: She _knew _how strong Dante was, having witnessed only _some _of his fearsome abilities firsthand. Two: She couldn't bear the thought of him failing his mission, the result of that being either his death or hers.

Perhaps both.

And she didn't want to lose the only one, who was there for her, but never made any moves on her. He simply 'existed' and took all her problems, either beating them down, or soothing her with his calm words. She practically _needed _him. And If he hadn't been there all those times, she would have been killed five times over by now.

Dante seemed to realize this as he looked down at his charge. "You don't want me to leave do you?" She nodded her head, choking back a sob in response. And so he answered with a question of his own. "For what reason do you need me Sak? I'm just an ordinary guy."

Again she shook her head, speaking now. "No...You're special. You're always there for me, whenever I needed it the most."

He cocked his head to one side again, confused once more.

"Special? How am I special to you?"

Sakura blushed at this.

" Dante...You're...


	3. Promise

Dante looked down at her intenly as she struggled to speak, and soon realized what was holding her back from speaking. And so his tone was soft as he gently squeezed her shoulders, still holding her like that, as she looked up at him. "Sak. Listen to me. If you ever need ANYTHING, anything at all. Just let me know, and I'll do whatever I can to help."

She nodded at this, drying her tears as she pulled her face out of his now moist t-shirt. Then she was looking sheepish as she saw the wet stain her tears had left there. "I ruined your shirt." He shrugged, not really minding the wet fabric. "Its no problem. But here-

He surprised her now, by releasing his clawed hand from her shoulder, and reaching around the back of his neck, as if he was trying to undo something. This earned him a confused stare from Sakura. "Dante, what are you-

Then he winced slightly, pulling away his hand to reveal a small vial of blood in his hand. HIS blood. And that blood was now in a small glass vial, about the size of her thumb. Then reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a black chain, and laced it through the hole in the vial's lid, making a necklace out of it as he fused the two ends together.

Sakura was confused by this, and was made even more flustered as he leaned forward, bringing his face near to hers, as he slipped the now complete chain around her neck, gently laying it there as he placed his gauntlet over it, and onto the bare skin, making her face turn beet red, but whatever she might have said was cut off by the red glow the vial gave for a brief moment. Then he removed his hand, not paying attention to the blush on her face as he pulled away, giving her instructions now.

"Listen Sak. That little necklace right there has some of MY blood in it. In case I should fail my mission, or if you find yourself in danger, and I'm not there, drink that." Now his eyes hardened over, and he became serious as he held up a clawed finger, the metal clinking slightly as he raised the lone digit. "But ONLY if you have no other choice, or if you're near death. Got it?"

She nodded again, her chest still feeling cold from the touch of the metal. "But why are you-

Again he interrupted her, and a sad look briefly appeared on his face. But then it was gone in an instant, and she wasn't sure if she had seen it or not. "Just in case Sak. Just in-

Then his eyes narrowed, and he pushed her down, shouting as he did so. "Get down Sak!"

She immediately did so, as his hand placed itself on her back and pushed her to the ground, hearing the window behind her shatter as she hit the dirt. Then a second later, she heard the sound of multiple piercings, and heard the death rattle of an unkown figure.

Afraid to look up, she called out to Dante. "Is he-

In response, she heard three more screams, followed by a surprised hiss from Dante, then a loud wet squishing sound, followed by more piercings. NOW she looked up, and what she saw chilled her to the core, before Dante covered her eyes with his gloved hand. "Don't look Sak. This isn't pretty."

But she had looked. And she had seen the bone spikes sticking out of Dante's shoulder's back and chest, tearing holes in his shirt as they protruded from his flesh, piercing through four sound ninja, who were obviously dead now, judging from the fact that his bone spears had pierced through their chests.

And she began to shiver at the sight, and a second later, she heard the sound of the bodies being incinerated. And only THEN did he remove his hand from her face, giving her just enough time to see the bone spears sink back into his skin. "D-Dante, what did you-HOW did you-Who are you?"

He shook his head as he rolled his shoulders, forming three shadow clones as he did so, his back to her now as he crossed into the kitchen. "Some things are better left unsaid Sak. Trust me. You don't want to know about me and my past. Even I don't want to know about it. But I do...

--

Sakura looked about the living room as she heard him in the kitchen cleaning himself up after his grisly slaughter of the assassins. But oddly enough, his cold and ruthless methods of killing didn't scare here as much anymore. Sure, they certainly unnerved her, but it also cheered her somewhat to know that she had a practically invincible protector.

AND he was always trying to hide his killing methods from her. He didn't WANT to leave those murderously horrible images in her mind. He was protecting her. In every way, shape and form. And that thought made her heart skip a beat. "Wow... He really is something else...

--

Dante sighed as he washed the blood off his face, looking himself over in the kitchen mirror, as he discarded his torn shirt. He had plenty more were that came from. He qucikly gave himself a once over, and nodded as he determined that nothing had been planted on him. That was a welcome relief. "In that case, I'm putting this place on lock down. There will be no more spies coming in here tonight."

He looked on as his clones took up a triangular position in the middle of the living room, and slapped their hands against the dark carpet, while he himself was going through double sets of one handed seals, placing both hands together in the dragon seal at the end. "Barrier Jutsu: Four Flames of Protection." Sakura jumped back a bit as a purple dome of translucent energy sprang up from where the clones where standing. "Yikes! What the heck is that?!"Frightened now, she closed her eyes as it passed through her, the walls, then everything else in the house, before forming a protective dome about the home. No one else would be getting in here tonight.

One of the clones answered her, as they stabilized the barrier. "Its a protection jutsu. Dante made it himself." The three then gestured out the window with a head jerking motion, each one speaking at the exact same time. "Have a look for yourself."

Sakura peeked out the window and watched as a nearby bird bounced off the dome, then flew away sawing out loudly in protest at being repelled. "Wow. That's so cool. Maybe I should ask him to teach me that...

One of the clones chuckled lightly at this, while the real Dante went about fixing up something for Sakura. "Sak, this is an S-class jutsu. Do you REALLY want the boss to teach you it?" Sakura paused for a moment, then nodded eagerly, her tone firm. "You bet! Then I won't have to EVER look over my shoulders again."

But before the first clone could respond, the real Dante entered the living room

"Sak, ignore these three. At the rate you're progressing, you could probably learn it in a month.

Cheered by this, she turned to face him, then blushed as she saw that he wasn't wearing his shirt, and was instead clad in only his dark blue jeans. In other words, she saw his toned upper body, and her eyes lingered just a fraction too long on his muscular six-pack chest. Then the embarrassment took over as she looked away, beet red now. "EEP! Dante where's your shirt?!" Confused, he cocked his head to the right yet again. "Its all torn up now. I'll just put on something else."

Then he sat down next to her, as she saw that he was holding a cup of steaming green tea in his left hand now, while his clawed fingers held a different flavor of ice cream, each carton perfectly balanced on the clawed digits. One was strawberry, the other vanilla, the third choclate, the fourth raspberry, and the last was peach flavored.

He chuckled slightly as she watched him balance the cartons. "I didn't know which one you liked, so I thought it would be better if I just picked out each one." He then briefly got up and returned with a spoon for her, and a cup of coffee in his own hand now, steam rising from the dark mug. She was overcome by curiosity, wondering why a 16 year old would drink coffee.

"Why would you drink that? Don't you need sleep?" He shook his head in response, staring out at his three clones as he told the second to not put too much chakra into the barrier. In other words, he didn't look at her as he spoke. "I don't sleep much." Then he took a sip from his mug, before handing her the green tea, which was in a pink mug, which she gratefully took. But then she realized something...

He knew pink was her favorite color. But they didn't have pink mugs...

As if in response to her train of thought, he chimed in, a small smile on his face as he spoke. "I bought it for you. It was the last one on sale." Still curious, she turned it over in her shaky hands, and smiled as she saw the words: "Never give up Sak!" etched into the glass. Then as she tried to raise it to her lips, it slipped out of her trembling hands, and she watched horrified as it began to fall...

Only for Dante's gloved hand to shoot out and seized the mug by the handle, arresting its fall, and preventing it from spilling as he firmly gripped it with his hand, setting his own mug down now, and placing both hands over the mug. Dante merely nodded now, as she apologized rapidly, then held the mug close to her face, making her blush yet again. "What are you doing?"

He shook his head as he saw her trembling fingers"Sak. You're shaking like a leaf. If I give you back the mug, you might drop it again. So just let me hold it for you." Oddly enough, she didn't seem to mind, and opened her mouth, allowing him to give her a sip of the warm tea, which soothed her as she swallowed it, the tea pouring down her throat slowly, drawing a happy sigh from her.

"Delicious. What kind of tea is it?" Now Dante gave her one of his rare grins, and smiled peacefully at her. "It my own special blend. We ran out of green tea, so I decided to make some, and save you some cash by finding the ingredients myself." Now he quirked an eyebrow at her, worried as she placed her hands on the mug, over his own. "Hmm? What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

She slowly shook her head and let the lone tear fall. "No. I'm happy. Its just...that you're doing so much for me. And I didn't even ask for this." Now she moved her waist from side to side as a pale pink blush lit her face. "It makes me happy. Really happy." In response, he let her drink some more of the tea, allowing her to tilt the mug back this time, his hands still under hers. "I made you a promise. I wouldn't let ANY harm come to you. And that includes emotional harm. Being sad."

Then SHE surprised him, draining the mug and setting it down as she gave his hands a quick squeeze before pointing to the ice cream. "That's going to melt if we don't eat it soon."

And yet again, he turned the tables, releasing her hands from his making two hand seals, and blowing on the ice cream. "Ice Style": Icy Wind." Sakura shivered slightly as she felt some of the cool breeze, tugging his coat about herself again, as frost crystals appeared on the cartons, followed by a thin sheet of ice, that crept up to hold the bottoms of the containers on the wooden table.

Now he smiled devilishly at her as she gaped at the ice cream. "It won't be melting any time soon."

Then Sakura gave him a question as she opened the lid of the strawberry carton. "Which one's your favorite flavor?" The guardian looked over them for a moment, before pointing to the raspberry one. "Raspberry's my favorite. Yours?"

"Strawberry."

And they talked long into the night...

--

(Hour later. 11:00 P.M.)

Sakura yawned sleepily on the couch as Dante walked into the kitchen, stowing the remains of the ice cream, throwing away the now empty cartons of strawberry and raspberry, STILL shirtless as he gave a yawn of his own. "Its late. You should be getting to bed."

"Dante?"

He didn't face her, still cleaning up the dishes in the sink, his tan back to her. "Hmm?"

"Do you have someone back at home? Like a girlfriend? I mean Lady Tsunade told me you came her only recently, so I was just wondering..."

In response, he shook his head as he stowed the dishes in the diswasher, before cleaning a large pot he had used to make spaghetti for her last night. "No. I am the last of my clan."

Then he turned round, and she blushed as he looked right at her from across the kitchen. "Why are you asking me these things?"

In response, she motioned for him to sit down next to her, which, striding slowly from the kitchen, he did.

"Dante, do you remember that promise you made to do ANYTHING for me, no matter what it was? Did you mean it?"

He nodded, remembering his blood oath. "Yes."

"Then I need a favor."

He nodded again, as she scooted her body closer to his own. "What is this favor?"

She hung her head and twisted her waist from side to side as she mumbled out the words...

"I want you to kiss me."


	4. Passion

Dante looked at her, dead serious, as soon as he heard her request. "Very well then. But why do you want ME to kiss you?" In response, she blushed again, hanging her head as she tented her fingers, just like Hinata always does. She even stammered like her. "B-Because, nobody e-ever has, and I-

(Background music: Here in your arms)

Now she stopped the stammer, and brought her head up, her green eyes filled with sadness and loneliness, her voice broken now. "No one will look at me, and those who do only like me for who I appear to be. I don't want to put on a mask around all my friends, but if they see the real me, they'll think I'm an u-

Now she found herself cut off, as Dante placed his clawed hand over her mouth, gently silencing her. And his tone was firm as he spoke, removing his hand a moment later. "Don't even say it. You are the furthest thing from ugly and weak. So do not belittle yourself with false words and lies. I won't let you talk about yourself like that."

Sakura blushed again at the cold touch of his clawed hand, bringing her hand to her face in stunned awe. "Why do you think that? How do YOU know I'm not?" In response, he placed his gloved hand beneath her chin, tilting it up so she could look right into his eyes. "Because I HAVE seen the real you. I'm looking at her right now, and she's beautiful."

Sakura felt her heart stir at those words. "Dante...

No ONE, not even Naruto or Lee, had ever said something like that to her. And CERTAINLY not Sasuke. And so she went on to answer his first question, now holding herself as she hugged her arms to her shoulders, once again drawing his cloak about her, sounding and looking _terribly _sad as she gazed up at him, her head still tilted up by his gloved hand. "I want to know what it feels like. To have someone hold me, to whisper soft words in my ear. To hold me like they mean it, to KISS me like they mean it. THAT is what I want. More than anything else in this world. More than life itself! I just want to be loved...

Dante nodded and brought his other hand around to rest on the back of her head. "But why me? I still haven't received an answer. You told me I'm special. That you want to me to stay. But I want to know WHY I'm special to you. WHAT made you ask ME to kiss you?"

And at that a tear fell from her eyes, and he thought that he had made her cry, his face falling at the sight. "Sak, I apologize-

But she shook her head. "No. Its not your fault. Its just. Oh...This is going to sound so corny." So she took a deep breath to steady herself, and looked up at him, eyes misting over as she continued. "I think I'm falling in love with you Dante. THAT is why I want you to kiss me. I HAVE to know if what I'm feeling is real or fake. And its been eating me up ever since the first week."

At this, his face resumed its usual calm expression, as he brought his face close to hers, his breath warm on her face and tickling her nose as he spoke, making her shudder from the action. "Then let us find out."

And then he kissed her, covering her lips with his own, granting Sakura her pleading request.

And a maelstrom of emotion exploded inside of her as his cold lips covered her warm soft ones...

--

The instant he kissed her, every single thought she had EVER had of Sasuke went flying out the window. She knew. Right then, right there. She loved him. And she did NOT love Sasuke. In fact, she now despised the Uchiha for stealing her heart for any longer, when she could have given it to this seemingly perfect man beneath her. _'And I've only known him for two weeks. How-Ah screw it! I'll think later!'_

Then she responded to the kiss, bringing her arms up and around his neck, pushing back with her own lips, as she slid her tongue in his mouth, pressing her body against his, the sheer intensity of her kiss forcing him down and onto his back as she pressed herself against him. As the springs of the cushions creaked under their combined weight. Then she felt like _screaming_ with joy, as she felt him place his hands onto her waist, gently digging his fingers into her curves. _'He loves me too! CHA! THANK KAMI!'_

Then it got even better, as he returned the kiss, moving his own lips against hers, as he returned her fierce kiss, in his own slow and methodical manner, forcing her to slow down, and sensually return it, soaking in the moment, and savoring every sweet second of it as she closed her green emerald eyes, and allowed herself to be lost in the moment.

This sweet, heavenly moment, with the one person who had swore to lay down his life to protect her. Who had shown her all manner of kindnesses and affections. And now they were sharing the ULTIMATE form of affection, as she laid herself atop him, holding him tightly as she pushed herslef against him, praying that this wasn't a dream. That this kiss, these KISSES, were real.

And then Dante opened his grey eyes, and pulled away from the kiss, drawing a soft whimper from her, as she did not want to stop yet. She felt like she was addicted to this sweet sensation, and she wanted more. And his words, they only amplified that desire, ten-no a hundred fold.

"Have you figured it out? Are your feelings real or fake, Sak?" A wide smile was plastered on her face as she leaned down to nuzzle her nose against his, enjoying this lovely feeling that he was giving her. "Real. This is so real its not even funny."

And he smiled. That devilishly charming smile that she so rarely saw from him. The smile that she now loved so very, very much. "Well then. Do you have any more favors to ask of me?" She nodded her head rapidly now, before she laid her head against his surprisingly warm chest. "Stay with me. Even after the mission is over. Please. I just don't want to let someone like you out of my life."

In response, he kissed her forehead, making her body shiver from the kiss, and leaving her practically begging for more. "Then I shall honor your request. I shall stay, as long as it pleases you."

Overjoyed, she lifted her head off his chest now, and slammed her lips against his, speaking in between moments, when they broke for air. "It pleases me. It pleases me VERY much Dante."

And so they kissed, long into the night, pausing only for Dante to seal his arm, and prevent it from touching her, for fear of possibly killing her. And after that, Sakura enjoyed every second of it.

_'Oh Kami...This is heaven...It feels so good..._

_--_

But unbeknowst to them, a pair of red eyes was watching them from high atop the village gates. And those red eyes were Sharingan eyes. His black red cloud robe swirling about him in the wind as he murmured to himself. "So. This is the girl who is preventing Sasuke from seeking me out. From trying to kill me and desiring my power. I will have to do something about her. Or I could always wait for Orochimaru to try and kill her. Either way, her life must be extiguished."


	5. A New Destiny Revealed

Sakura blearily opened her eyes the next morning to see Dante standing over her once again, now wearing his usual attire once more, his cape from last night still curled around Sakura. _'He's still here... So it wasn't a dream after all_...And as she remembered the events of last night, a warm smile spread over her face, followed by the smell of pancakes, that he had set down in front of her only minutes earlier. "Morning Dante." In response, she received a charming grin from her new boyfriend/bodyguard as he set the syrup down on the kitchen table. "Good morning Sak. You feeling okay?"

He smirked as he said the last part, and she reached out to brush her hand against this gloved one, receiving a gentle squeeze from his hand as she did so. "I am now.

Yep, he remembered last night just as well as she did. And she let out a happy sigh as he sat down on the couch next to her, her hips brushing against his as he reaced out with is normal hand and wrapped it around her, pulling her close to him as he gazed out past the glass sliding door, both of them watching the sunrise. And he sounded surprisingly calm as the lit began to illuminate the room, as Sakura nuzzled her head into the crook of his arm. "I have the feeling that this day is going to be a good one."

She nodded slowly as she reached out for a fork and cut herself a piece of the pancake, accidently getting the whole thing, making Dante smirk as he saw the embarrassed look on her face out of the corner of his eye, his voice laced with amusement as he spoke. "Whats wrong Sak? Did you bite off more than you can chew?"

He then found himslef silenced as she tore of a piece of the pancake, and then shoved the rest of it into his mouth, grinning as he effortlessly swallowed the whole thing. "It looks liek you didn't." Then, ever so so slowly, he turned around, and she smiled warmly as she did the same, to meet his lips in another invigorating kiss. _'This will NEVER get old..._

--

Naruto sighed as he tucked a now loose strand of blond hair out of his eye, swiping away the now longer wet locks from his face, as his green eyes hazily anticipated an incoming left hook, which he nudged away with his right hand, sighing as his opponent slapped her other hand against the ground, and used the force of the impact to spin her tan legs, in a rapid spin kick, nailing him square in the gut, as he failed to get his other hand around in time, grunting in pain as she whalloped him. "OOF! Jeez you're persistent!" Then he spun to the left, dodging a sharp drop kick from his sparring partner, who let out an annoyed hiss as he avoided her kick, sweat falling of her brow and dripping onto the ground as she sucked in a ragged breath. her hands placed on the fabric of her grey sweatshorts, as she recovered her strength, her grey sports bra damp with sweat, and she was glad she had chosen to wear another bra underneath it, as the stretched fabric was quickly getting soaked from their little sparring session. "Hold still! How am I supposed to hit you if you keep moving- EEP!"

She let out a surprised shriek as he appeared behind her, and whipped a Sharp right hook at the back of her neck, his hand brushing through her long black hair before she whipped around, using her momentum to give him a sharp kick to the chin, snapping his head up from the impact. "AHA! I gotcha that time!" He slowly jerked his head back down as her kick pushed him into the air, and smirked down at her as he used that to his advantage, easily getting airborne and smirking down at her as he unclenched his hands. "So you did Chi-chan! Now its my turn. Get ready!"

Her black orbs widened as he brought his hands back, knowing full well what he was up to! Starteld, she waved her hands in front of her rapidly, chastising her fellow teen for what he was up to. "OI! what are you thinking?! Sensei told you NOT to use that more than once a day! You'll burn yourself out!"

"Oh yeah?! Just watch me! This is gonna sting if it hits you!"

That's right. Ever since the incident with Sasuke, Naruto had distanced himself from the Uchiha, and later on, his tema as well, the initial reason beacuse he was not liking the path his friend had chosen to walk, and aside from Kakashi and Sakura, he had officially left Team 7. The 16 (**hey he got held back alot**) year old wanting to try something else was far as teams went, after he had seen his team slowly beginning to fragment. Sasuke always seemed to be sulking about something, Kakashi was now laden down with more missions, and Sakura rarely showed up for training, what with Orochimaru's assassins after her now, and Dante guarding her like an overprotective father. At least in Naruto's opinion.

End result, he had been out of a team, and out of luck, until he had met this old man at the training field one day, and when the old geezer asked what he was doing there, Naruto told him his sad tale, and after that, said bald man had asked him to have a sparring match with him...

Naruto lost. BADLY. But the old man said he had potential, and offered to train him. Needless to say, Naruto had jumped at the chance.

And that was how he had gotten to where he was now. He was now part of a different team. Even though it was not an OFFICIAL team, his new sensei said that such things weren't imporant, as long as they _functioned _like a team. And they certainly did, their cooperation and support for one another going far beyond anything Team 7 ever had. Oh? And his team was comprised of four people, not counting the old man. There was himself, Chi-Chi, a young man, who looked to be about 18 years old, who had these dark violet soulless eyes, and he would only talk to Naruto and Chi-chi, who had warmed up to him rather quickly. He was a shy man, yet extremely kind. He was often seen taking care of animals, and the creatures seemed drawn to him, some birds even going so far as to perch on his broad shoulders while he rested.

Yet despite the suit of green armor he often wore, underneath it, he was just an ordinary human being, minus the pale skin and the unruly blakc hair that seemed unamanageable as soon as he took of his helmet. His name was Cell. And that was as far as he would talk, when it came to his past.

The other member of their team, was another girl, but this one, unlike Chi-Chi, wasn't _exactly_a fighter. Sure she could fire off a few blasts if need be, and she could hit like Tsuande , but her REAL expertise was in inventing and creating new tools. But those were nothing compared ot her REAL talent. Researching the fighting techniuqes and styles of her enemies. And once she had it analyzed, if YOU were that person, you wouldn't be able to lay so much as a finger on her, then she'd KO you with one hit. And to think, she wasn't even a Hyuuga or an Uchiha. Just an ordinary girl, who was an absolute GENIUS when it came to battle.

Come to think of it, he STILL hadn't found out her last name. All he knew was that her name was Bulma, and that she would occasionally ask to see him and Cell spar, so she could watch their fighting styles. That was how she had determined that he was a Saiyan. Half-Saiyan actually, but the living database of a 16 year old girl had, PLENTY of information on the supposedly extinct race, and she was the one who had helped him tap into his potential abilities as one of the last known of the powerful warriors.

And as for Chi-chi? She was also a seemingly normal girl, but she had an EXTREME passion for fighting, and as a result she and Naruto had hit it off right away. Literally. The first time she had been introduced to him, instead of shaking his hand, she punched him hard in the face and challenged him to a match. Needless to say, she beat the crap out of him the first ten times.

But after the fifteenth time, he began to put up a bit of a fight, even landing one hit. But she still beat him.

Then after the thirtieth, when Bulma had began to teach him to tap into his potential abilities, he had started to make her REALLY work for a win.

Now, and after the fiftieth time, after he had learned to CONTROL his power, the two were dead even.

Their win loss record was set dead even at fifty wins each now. The two had unknowingly become fierce rivals, and for Naruto, he welcomed the challenge, as having a new rival made his old one with Sasuke virtually nonexistent. This girl, was WAY stronger than Sasuke, and he was now proud to say, he probably was too. He looked forward to seeking out hos old rival, and beating the tar out of him... But as of right now, this was their 101st match, the one to put him or her over the top, and she had yet to land a finishing blow on him, other than that nasty kick.

And he grinned as the light began to shine in his hands. "Ka.

Chi-chi cursed violently, then raise a hand up, palm open, followed by another an instant later, as she made rapid hand motions, gathering energy fromt he air as a yellow sphere began to form in front of her. She then put both of her wrists together, whilst her h ands were still open, fingers curled, as she brought them back and to her side. As a result, the orange sphere took on a purplish tint, as dark purple lighting began to crackle about her. "Okay then! Lets see which is stronger! Sensei's Kamehameha, or MY Burning Galic Gun!"

In response, he put more energy into his own soon incoming attack, and he laughed aloud as the sphere of blue light increased, covering both his hands now. "MEEEE... HAAAA... MEEEEEEEE...

Roshi smiled as he watched the two, whilst he leaned on his old wooden cane, and adjusted his sunglasses on his face. "Those two really are something. It should be interesting to see how much they progress when (cough) I'm gone. But meh. I plan on sticking around for quite a while." Then his amused tone hardened, as he looked up into the morning sky, remembering his promise to his two late students, as he watched the sun rise into the morning sky.

"Don't worry. These two'll be more than ready when the time comes. They're safe in my capable hands."

"Roshi, are you talking to yourself again?" The old man chuckled as Bulma looked up from her laptop, clad in an outift much like Vegeta's, having _borrowed _it, just to bug him. And the man had never found it since. He was probablyu still wondering where it was, even though he was long dead, along with his wife. There was a scouter, one she had found last year, and repaired, practically rebuilding it from scratch, on her right eye, and the device was beeping softly as it detected the massive power the two were putting out. "Yep. Just an old man talking to ghosts."

Cell grunted as he he raised a finger, allowing a cardinal to land on it, chirping softly and seeming to bow to the man as it rested its aching wings. This drew a smile from the man, as he placed his hand on his shoulder, allowing it to hop off and rest there, his deep voice booming out as he spoke serious as usual. "Its almost time."

Again Roshi nodded sagely as he ran a hand over his bald head, as the earth shook slightly. "Yep. In about a month, things re gonna get crazy. But we can handle it. And those two- He chuckled as their blasts, finally released, blue and purple, slammed into each other, shaking the earth. "Are going to make us all very proud. After all, Naruto turning out to be just like Vegeta, minus the arrogance, and Chi-chi's just like her dad. She's just as much a firecracker as Goku was. Its a shame both of their mothers died in childbirth. But they're so full of life and energy. Heheh. I almost feel sorry for anyone that tries to threaten this planet.

Bulma nodded, a wide grin on her young face as she looked back dwon at her laptop. "You bet Roshi! When they get here, they're gonna be in for a rude awakening! Courteousy of the five of us!"

Cell merely nodded as the red bird fell asleep on his shoulder. "Indeed."


	6. Sunset

Sasuke sighed in annoyance as he strolled through the streets of the village, hands in his pockets as he made his way to the training grounds, none too pleases with is current situation. "Jeez... Stupid freaking bodyguard...How am I supposed to talk to her if he's always watching over her like a hawk?" He had no answer to his predicament, and to make matters worse, he was starting to realize something.

He was starting to fall for Sakura. How the blazes did that happen?

And the thought of THAT drove him mad, when after all this time, HE had alwasy spurned her affections. But after she stopped him cold, and THEN started all of her intnese training, he reluctantly began to see her in a different light. "Man, I've really screwed things up this time...

And that was just when he arrived at the training ground 5, the one in which Dante and Sakura were currently training.

The very sight of her bodyguard made his blood boil, as he directed Sakura in the proper handseals for a jutsu, affectionately hugging her with his normal arm, as she got it right. "Why that little-

But then what he saw next made his blood run cold. Sakura smiled up brightly at Dante, then leaned up to give him a soft kiss.

Right on the lips.

That did it. Right then and there, he lost it and snapped, nearly going mad with rage. "BASTARD!"

--

Dante already knew that Sasuke was watching them, but quite honestly, he didn't give a rat's ass about the little maggot. _'He needs to pay for hurting her like he did.'_Nor did he mind the scream of rage Sasuke howled at him, as soon as Sakura kissed him softly on the lips. But she jumped in surprsie from the scream, and turned to face Sasuke as he stalked forward, hands clenched into fists at his sides, as his curse mark flared up, the fiery marks covering his body as he made his way towards Dante. "How DARE you seduce her!"

The next blow, he never saw coming. And it was SAKURA who stepped forward, delivering a brutal right hook right into the space where he appeared a moment later, drawing blood from the brutal hit, as her fist dug into his face and smashed his body into a tree. "What are you talking about?! Dante didn't seduce me! I chose HIM! Not that it would matter ever to you!"

Sasuke flinched at her hurt tone, and now he realized that he had REALLY screwed up, and with a regretful sigh, he forced the curse mark to recede from his body. "I was a little late wasn't I?" Sakura saw the hurt look on her face, and smiled inwardly, knowing that if this had happened just the other day, she might have very well gone with Sasuke. "Sorry Sasuke. But I have someone else now. I'm sorry for getting your hopes up in any way."

Oddly enough, he felt at peace, and crossing over to Dante, he extended his hand, making a small cut on it with his kunai, as he shook the gloved hand of Sakura's protector. "Take good care of her. She deserves only the best. And that seems to be you. So I hereby swear on my blood, that I will make no attempts whatsoever to interfere with you two."

Sakura allowed a small smile to creep up on her face as she shook hands with Sasuke as well. "I wish you luck. Are you still going to-

He nodded, his eyes full of regret, yet he was oddly calm, as if he had overcome an obstacle to his life. "Yeah. I'll stay here. I just need to find a new reason for doing so I guess."

Then in a swirl of leaves, he was gone from sight.

--

Sakura looked up at Dante who shrugged as the blood sank into his skin, closing his steel grey eyes as is melted into his gloved hand. THAT was his Kekai Genkai. If he absorbed the blood of anyone, he gained their onw Kekai Genaki, their own bloodline limit, in addition to any other that he already possessed. THAT was how he had gained the ability to manipulate his bones. And now, if she was right...

She was soon proved to be correct, as when Dante opened his eyes, they bore the Legendary Copy wheel, all three comas in each eye. But then he blinked them away, and his eyes were that lovely steely color that she had grown to love over the past two weeks. "It seems that the Sharingan is revered for a reason. It certainly is a powerful bloodline."

Curious now, Sakura reached out for his gloved hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "How many bloodlines do you have anyway?" At this Dante smiled knowingly, as he shifted that arm to wrap around her waist, the motion still drawing a small blush from her. "I lost track after the 50th one."

Then as the wind blew past them, he looked up and saw that it was near sunset. "Lets go. I need to get you home. Now."

Sakura nodded as his single arm, the one that couldn't kill her, slung her up on to his shoulders, allowing her to sit atop his neck as he pushed off the ground, and an instant later, he tore through the setting evening, as he made his way to Sakura's house. But then he noticed that something was up. He had passed that park three times already. "Crap. Sakura, I want you to put up that barrier jutsu I just taught you."

"But-

He turned to glare at her, as a figure began to materialize into the night, as the sun finally set. "Do it! Quickly!"

She did so, and Dante let out a relieved breath as he watched the dome expand several feet around her, keeping her safe from any and all methods of harm. "Good. Now-

He whipped his clawed hand about, just in time to swat away several Kunai, as his gaze was still locked on hers. "Close your eyes. I don't want you to see this."

"See what?"

"My true from."

The figure finally revelaed its identity as he removed his straw hat that hid his face, his Sharingan eyes boring into Dante's own, as the vampire activated his onw stolen bloodline, while placing a hand over his gauntlet. "Just don't look."

Sakura closed her eyes, and a second later, she hear a loud ripping sound, and she snapped her eyes open as she heard Dante grunt in pain. "Wow...

Now extending from his back where two blood red feathery wings, and sticking out of his arms were multiple bone spikes as she warder off Itachi preventing the Uchiah from getting in close as he began to spin, his crimson and black chakra whirling about him as he spun, a lethal combination of bone and chakra. "Dark Rotation, Piercing Drill!"

Itach barely had enough time to move, his Sharingan eyes just barely alerting him in time, as long shafts of bone spears shot out from the spinning vortex, which he leapt over, only for several of them to curve around, and come back around at him, forcing him to twist in midiar, dodging all but one, which nicked his cheek, drawing blood.

Then he found Dante right in fron of him, and he bared his now elongated fangs in a hissing snarl as he slapped his wings forward, and the resulting gust of widn slammed Itachi into the ground, making him arch his back in pain-

Only to disappear in a poof of smoke.

"Crap. Shadow clone!"

He just had enough time, thanks to having picked up the Bykugan, to see Itachi coming from behind, only to be warded off yet again as thousands of bone sburst from Dante's body, forcing him away yet again. "You can't win this battle if you can't touch me Uchiha." The he DELIBERATELY glared into Itachi's eyes, knowing full well what was about to happen, as the world darkened around him, and he found himself tied to a cross. "Ah. Tsukiyomi, the ultimate genjutsu. Its a shame it won't work on me."

Then he closed his eyes and reopened them, swapping himself with Itachi on the cross, trapping the Uchiha in his own Genjutsu, reveling in the startled look on the face of his prey. "I'm FAR more powerful than you think Uchiha." Then with a snap of his fingers, he shattered the world of Tsukiyomi, releasing Itachi from his backfired trap and making him a good deal more cautious now. "You're going to have to do better than that, if you hope to beat me."


	7. At Long Last

Sakura blinked once then twice as she got a goot look at Dante's true form, which he was still morphing into. He still had those _beautiful _crimson wings, and she had already seen his fangs, but then she looked on in awe as several more bones sprouted from his arms and legs, creating deadly protruding spikes, that she knew she would _hate _to be kicked with. His shirt was now gone, and it exposed his tan back, which had a series of scars running down it.

His eyes were now a strange combination of both the Sharingan _and _the Byakugan, with the veins bulging out at the side, but the three coms' were gone, replaced by what looked like a version of the Mangekyou Sharingan, but paler red. And those pale red eyes glared defiantly at Itachi who looked on with mild curiosity, as Datne's skin turned a dark tan, as the magma like tint of his gauntlet spread up and over his arm, completely covering it, and haling at the shoulder, whilst his short silver hair grew out, resembling that of Sasuke's cursed second seal form.

All in all, he looked, in Sakura's eyes, AWESOME! "Why would I be afraid of his real form? He looks- A light blush appeared on her face from thinking such things, knowing that these kind of thoughts should not be on the mind of a 14 year old girl, going on fifteen. "He looks really hot...

But to Itachi, he was a fearsome sight to behold, and the Uchiha knew full well what this man was now that he had revealed his true self. He was the last of a deadly clan, that was long thought to have died out centuries ago. But it looked like one had survived. And that did not bode well for him.

He reached up to move a strand of balck hair away from his face, tucking it behind his ear as he spoke, tone laced with curiosity as dark crimson met pale red."You're one of the Genkou, aren't you? The legendary clan of bloodline thieves that supposedly died out centuries ago."

Dante chuckled at this, a grim smile on his face as he looked down at his clawed arm, which sprouted more bone spikes, the sharp bone shafts traveling up the entire length of both arms now, halting at his shoulders, making him look even more fearsome as his voice boomed out, sounding darker, more malevolent. "Thieves? Now that's such a harsh word Itachi. I prefer to say we _copy _bloodlines, not steal them. And as for your answer-

A sad look appeared on his face now, and Sakura realized that he was indeed the last of his kind as she heard the sorrow in his voice. "My mother, elder brother and I were the last of my clan. But she died of a fatal cancer that sometimes circulates in the blood of the females of my clan. Once contracted, there is no cure for it, and the victim-

Sakura felt a warm tear drip from her eyes as she saw his clench his hands into fists, drawing some black blood from his palms, from the sheer force of his anger. "Dies within a matter of days."

Now Sakura piped up, drawing his attention slightly, despite the fact that he didn't dare take his eyes off Itachi, his back still to her. "And your brother?"

Now he sounded angry for the first time since they had met. She had never even SEEN him upset before, as he was always calm or cheerful around her. "He was another victim of Orochimaru's twisted experiments, but no longer. He begged me to liberate him from the twisted life he led, and when he attacked me...I was forced to grant his request, against my will."

Sakura covered her mouth in horror, knowing full well that Dante must have been pushed to his breaking point by doing such a thing. "I'm so sorry...

He nodded as he briefly looked over his shoulder. "You are not the one who needs to be sorry Sak. Do not concern yourself with my guilt. I have long since let it go."

She nodded at this, making a side note to do something REALLY nice for him once all this was over. He really deserved it after all the lengths he had gone, was still GOING to, just to assure her safety. Then he looked away, and she contented herself to watch the fight.

Now he raised both hands up, and began making seals, talking to Itachi as he did so, whilst the Uchiha warily circled the Genkou, ready to go on the defensive or offensive at a moments notice. "Well then, since I'm going to kill you here and now, I might as well fill you in on the rest of my clan's history. Like you Uchiha, when we kill our best friend, which in my case was my big brother, we gain the ability to obtain our true form, as you see now. And I can stay like this for as long as I please, but you and I know full well, that overusing those eyes of yours has a deadly price."

Itachi frowned at this, none too happy at the statement, which he already knew to be true, as he made seals of his own, both of their hands moving at a rapid pace, channeling chakra at a speed that the naked eye could not see. "Then I will finish you off before I reach that limit. In one move."

Dante smirked as he placed his hands into the rat seal, ready to go as he then raised both hands forward, and his black chakra coalleced in front of the open palms, forming a medium sized sphere of dark energy which crackled with dark sparks as he spoke. " Lets see if you can Uchiha. Shadow Style: Vortex of a Thousand Screams."

Itachi finished his seals a second later, and placed a hand over his mouth, fingers open as he sucked in a deep breath, releasing it, pouring flames out just after he spoke."Fire Style: Grand Fireball." The torrent of flame then took the shape of a massive ball of fire, which rocketed towards Dante, who was ready and waiting for the attack, as he gathered the last of his dark energy.

Seconds later, he pumped his hands back, then forward, releasing the sphere, which expanded into a massive sphere of dark chakra as soon as it lef this palms, meeting the giant fireball that Itachi had released head on.

--

Sasuke felt the tremors in the earth, and felt the presence of an all too familiar chakra, the familiar energy causing him to whirl around and race back towards the training grounds, fearing for Sakura's life as he knew that she had not left the grounds, nor had Dante. "Itachi!"

--

Sakura looked on in shock and then horror as Dante's sphere flickered against the orangish red of the flaming vortex. He was beginning to falter "Dante!"

His eyes sparked defiantly at this, her voice giving him the strength he needed to carry on. "Sak!" Then he focused all of his energy into his next move, and as if on cue, he took a step forward, pumping his outstretched hands back then forward. The black sphere grew in size as he did this, and Itachi's crimson eyes widened in surprise, as he poured more chakra into his attack which started to creep backwards slightly. "What is this? How can he keep going? This should not be possible!"

But his word were not heard over the roar of the clashing attacks as Dante moved forward again, black chakra emanating off him, as he pushed the fireball back once more pumped more chakra into the attack, slowly pumping his arms forward, then again, and again faster and faster as his Shiyakugan eyes spun like a pinwheel in a fierce wind. "Begone Uchiha! May you suffer in the void for all eternity!"

Then his attack shattered the fireball.

Literally. The massive flaming sphere, if at all possible, shattered, and then, deprived of any form of resistance, the cortex shot forward, and was within the striking range of its prey in a nanosecond, so fast was its velocity and speed. that Itachi had no time to move out of the way.

End result, direct hit.

OUCH.

--

Sasuke arrived at the training field, to see the transformed Dante, and a cloud of dust and smoke covering where his brother was. He looked from Dante to the smoke, then back again as the dust was swept away, revealing his elder brother, his Akatsuki robe torn and soiled with blood, and his left arm was simply gone, burned off at the shoulder, whilst his right hung at his side, hanging by a thread of bloody flesh.

And he was barely standing, as his knees trembled from the blood loss of his right arm as the dark crimson liquid leaked out of the open wound.

Basically, his brother looked like crap.

Then, as if he had sensed Sasuke, he turned to look at his younger brother, his now black eyes dull and barely alive from his near death beating. Said little brother then realized that he had his chance. Right here and now.

As did Dante, who bowed to Sasuke, and took a step back, waving for the young Prodigy to achieve his lifelong goal.

Sasuke needed no further encouragement. Even though this monster of a man had beaten Itachi_, he, _Sasuke Uchiha, had been offered the killing blow.

And that earned Dante the respect of Sasuke, who was glad that he would FINALLY get his vengeance for the slaughter of his clan!

His eyes blazed red, as he activated his own legendary bloodline, and curse marks flaring about his body, began to make his seals, intoning the words solemnly as the dark chakra began to crackle into life and existence in his clawed hands as he performed the last seal. "Itachi Uchiha...

His elder brother sighed, knowing that there was way out of this. He was dead meat. Sasuke had him right where he wanted him, and thanks to that attack, Itachi had no means of dodging or defending himself. It was over.

"I've waited my entire life for this day!"

So intense was the sinister chakra, that it scorched portions of the field turning the green grass dark with soot wherever it touched, killing the grass as he powered it up to the max, putting all of his very being into the attack. The chidori. His best move. Then he swept it to one side,scorching the field black beneath him as he tried it for the second time, since the run in at that outpost town.

Then, much to Itachi's shock, a third coma appeared in the eyes of his younger brother, as his dark hair was swept up by the sheer intensity of the chakr he was pouring into the technique

This time, he SWORE it would be different.

"TO SEE YOU DIE! NOW-

He tore forward, howling for his vengeance, knowing that he would finally get it. It would be his!

"DIIIIIIIEEEEE ITACHI UCHIHAAAAAAA!"

Time seemed to slow as he appeared beneath his elder brother, and brought his chidori hand back and down, ready to thrust his chakra covered clawed hand into the heart of his hated brother. Itachi smiled sadly and said three words. Just three.

"Well done Sasuke."

Then time sped up again, and with a scream of pure unfiltered rage, Sasuke rammed his hand, chakra and all, right through his brother's chest, incinerating his heart, and killing his brother instantly, as his crackling chakra covered attack appeared out the end of Itachi's back, blood splattering everywhere, and even on his eyes, as he gave the killing blow, the flame marks receding from his skin as he suppressed the dark power. "Goodbye brother. Goodbye and good riddance."

Then with a wet ripping sound, he pulled his now bloody hand out of the chest of his now deceased brother, the hand covered in the blood of the once deadly prodigy, who was now just dead. And a second later, a small smile appeared on Sasuke's face, as he whipped the blood out of his Sharingan eyes, which were now that of the Mangekyou Sharingan. But he did not care that he had unlocked the ultimate form of the Sharingan.

He was just glad it was over. Finally, it was done

"Its done. I finally did it." Then he threw his head back and let out a loud shout, as he fell back to the ground, falling on his butt as he did so, shouting to the whole world of his accomplishment. "I DID IT! He's finally gone! Mother, father, everyone, I DID IT!"

Dante allowed a small smile to appear on his face, knowing that now Sasuke could finally resume a normal life, and not have to be plagued with the shadow of his elder brother haunting his every move. He could rebuild his clan, and move on at long last. He was done with his quest as an avenger.

He had done it. He had FINALLY, with a LOT of help from Dante, gotten his revenge. He no longer desired the power of Orochimaru. He did not need it, nor did he want it. He was content here now.

He was at peace.


End file.
